The First Step

Once a year, my husband starts asking about medical receipts, W-2 forms, and which of our six children we'll be claiming when we file our taxes. Gathering information for the accountant is sometimes tedious, but I've found it provides an interesting review of the year.



The most surprising data I collected this year concerned my mileage to and from work in the writing center. I'm still trying to wrap my mind around it. The number was so big that I decided my husband might be right. My car might not last until the completion of my degree. Perhaps I should pay more attention when he stops at car lots. The car we look at might be the one I'm driving next fall or next spring.



My mind was still considering the odometer reading on my car when I got to the writing center earlier this week. I overheard a graduate assistant talking about a student who has already used all his absences for the semester. I remembered my years as a GTA at the University of Alabama and at KU. I heard many excuses and reasons why a student who signed up for an 8 o'clock class couldn't consistently wake up to an alarm, walk across campus, and stay awake for an hour.



I drove 10,000 miles last semester in my quest for an education. I didn't miss a single class. I came on a day I had no class to turn in a paper. I kept the committment I made to myself and fulfilled the requirements of the courses I took.



One day when I teach again and hear pleas for leniency in enforcing class attendance policies, I think I will remember my semester of 10,000 miles.